my new bike/chari and I hit the pavement in Tokyo

around the hood

What a lovely day out and about, except for the glaring awful hot sun. Rainy season is over, so the oppressing humidity is gone, but I forgot that in it’s place comes unmediated direct sun.

So the RHG, Momo and her boy toy (BT) and I went to a little cafe around the corner but just off Omotesando for lunch.

All but the RHG were on bikes, but all from the house stable (borrowing the brother’s bridgestone and the sis-in-law’s bianchi). We parked outside of the cafe on a very narrow but highly trafficked in both directions street and it made me think about a post I read the other day on ZOMG, another bike-ish blog. Zomg was talking about stress from parking her bike in cafes somewhere that she can’t see it, but in this case, I was worried that the bikes were going to get smushed or knocked over when traffic tried to get by in both directions (which can involve a little car dance of the two cars approaching each other in what looks like a vehicular mating ritual, and then slowly inching by each other, trying to no touch each other side mirror to side mirror). So the bikes were in plain view to me, but still causing stress.

RHG went on to the library to do real work, while I took the others on a tour of the hood to get them used to the area. We stopped by the rice millers, where we bought a bag of brown rice and had half of it polished for sushi rice.

In goes brown rice, out comes white rice.

On the way home, after getting groceries, we stopped by this lovely bakery.

My basket was getting full, and I still haven’t solved the problem of a back basket, but then I found my bag will just hook all by itself onto the back rack. This made me much happy. Much much happy. I just slip the handles through the back rack and then hook them over the two little spokey hooks that hang off it. PDC.

It was freaking hot. We stopped for ice coffee at Cafe Morgen, which is just about the smokiest place you have ever seen. The ceiling and walls, once cream, are a shiny golden brown from years of smoking. BT is a smoker, so this was a good thing.

We also stopped by the Tofu lady and got some goodies.

I realized I do not qualify as cycle chic.

We also came across this great vintage bike around the corner. I was surprised just how giddy I got.

I’m smitten.

Last year I decided to ditch the train in Tokyo and go by bike. I bought a Bridgestone 3 speed and off I went. What I didn't realize was that I would become completely smitten by both riding, and bikes themselves. Now I'm back in Toronto (for the time being, and I still keep that Bridgestone in Tokyo for when I am there) and still riding, and somehow acquiring bicycles.
I'm now up to six: the original Bridgestone (Mabel), a Danish Viva Bellisimo (Maru), a 1966 CCM single speed cruiser (Grover), a fold up I've had for several years (Paris), and a Fleetwing Deluxe Mixte 10-speed (Florence), and now a 3 speed Raleigh Sports I rescued from being dumped (Riley)
To me, these are my adventures...

Maru, a Vivo Bellissimo

Grover

My Paris (almost)

This is almost a photo of my fold up bike. She is a bright shiny girl for 9 years old, and works hard.

Mabel, my Beaute

This is my stable work ride, my Bridgestone 2010 Beaute. No, really, that's the model name, I didn't name my bike that. She's a strong work horse, but a heavy girl, and currently stuck in Tokyo for a bit